Red State

Well it has been a hell of a year for Kevin Smith. First off he had the well-publicized incident on Southwest Airlines, then he released Cop Out with Bruce Willis, his podcast empire has grown considerably as well as his recent controversial flick Red State.

Now I admit that I have been following this flick for about five years now. I have been a fan of View Askew since working for Blockbuster a little over a decade ago. Now a lot of people have said that this flick would never be made. The basic response was why a Comedy Director is making a Horror Movie, That can’t be done, and I point to John Landis, Joe Dante, and many others. I honestly feel that Horror and Comedy can go together like peanut butter and jelly. I point to classics like Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein, Shaun of the Dead, and others.

Now let us talk about the controversies surrounding the movie First off many people say that Red State is based on Fred Phelps and the Westborough Baptist Church that goes to funerals and protest the services and celebrate the deceased’s “Banishment to Hell” . The tactics of the church tend to bring the age old debate of how far can the first amendment can go. Needless to say the Phelps family has appeared at the Sundance Premiere of Red State to protest Smith and his Movie only to be met by a counter protest by 200 Kevin Smith fans.

That brings us to the big controversy with Red State. Smith announced at Sundance that he was going to tour with Red State and then release it himself under the Smodcast label. That announcement has been highly debated by the movie and internet community. Needless to say when the tour came to Texas I and my friends were there.
The evening begins with Smith introducing the film and interacting with the audience. After the screening Smith comes out again and has an almost two hour QnA. Here he talks about the film and the reasons for his decision to release it himself.

The cost for a ticket is about $70 but is well worth the price for true fans of Kevin Smith.

Now on to the flick.

The story is about three teenagers that live in a town where a fundamental preacher and his family are frequently seen protesting funerals for men and boys who were killed in a recent spree of hate crimes committed in the community. That night they respond to a add on a website to have a foursome with a woman in the area. In the process they are dragged into the inner sanctum of the Church and have to fight for their lives while the ATF are preparing to invade the compound in hopes of avoiding a public incident like Waco.

This is by no means a feel good flick. Smith even said when he introduced the flick that this is not a Kevin Smith movie, and he was right. It is a Kevin Smith movie for the first 10 minutes then it has the feel of a Rob Zombie Film.
I generally enjoyed the film. I liked it. Another interesting aspect of the flick is that there is no score the only music is the singing that Michael Park does in the scenes. Like I said the film had a gritty nerve invoking feel to it the camera work was much different than most of Smith’s other movies with the shaky cam effect and Jump Cuts and a lot of extreme close-ups and running with the action shots. I honestly was frightened by it when you see the villains in the flick and How far they actually go and in the fact that they really believe that they were doing what was right.

I would definitely recommend this flick to the Hostel and Saw crowd.

11 Dead Bodies

4 Breasts (on computer screens)

7 Beasts

2 Shootouts

1 Shot to the eye

7 Shots to the head

Heads Explode

Cult FU

Teen FU

ATF FU

3 1/2 Stars

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Faster

OK I admit that I am a huge fan of the Rock. As many of you know I am a lifelong wrestling fan.

I remember when the rock first showed up in the WWE back in 1996 with these blue tights and a chia pet hair style that got him booed out of the building. Now he is a big star in some people’s regard.

I was in the theatre for the Scorpion King as well as the Rundown and Walking Tall. Some of his later flicks I wasn’t that big of a fan of. As a matter of fact I was a little bothered by seeing him play a tooth fairy in his last flick.

Now I am a happy camper as I just picked up Faster on Blu-Ray.

Now first off I know that he is credited by Dwayne Johnson in his movies now but I say screw you people He is the Rock. He always has been the Rock and he always will be the Rock.

What I am happy about is the fact that the Rock is doing an action flick and what cool flick it is.

The plot here is pretty simple it is basically a modern day The Good Bad and the Ugly. What it really is the Driver, The Cop, and The Killer.

The Flick Follows the Driver (The Rock) who has just been released from prison and has set out on a vengeance mission because a decade ago he and his brother robbed a bank and he was the getaway driver and after the getaway they were attacked by a group of people who wanted the money and killed his brother and shot him in the head but her survived. He then went to prison for the robbery and was released and is now hunting the people responsible, including Courtney Gains in a small role.

In pursuit of the Driver is a retiring cop (Billy Bob Thorton) who is struggling to reconnect to his estranged wife and son while pursuing the case.

Also on his tail is the Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) a self-made millionaire who is also a hired assassin who has been hired to go after the Driver.

The flick follows all three characters their Lives and what they have all lost.

The flick also stars Maggie Grace as the Killers Lover and Wife, Jennifer Carpenter as The Drivers ex-girlfriend, and Moon Bloodgood as the Cop’s Wife. Also featured is Carla Gigino as the Cop’s Partner as well as a cameo by Tom Berenger.

This is definitely a flick worth checking out. I heard that the flick didn’t do too well I the theatres, I honestly believe that this flick will have its life on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Streaming Downloads, as well as cable, in other words Theaters rent the Be All End All in the movie Industry.

The Story will keep you watching. You will get the feeling that you know how this is going to end but you will have one hell of a twist sent you that you will see the signs but you may miss them.

The Driving scenes are really cool. Driver has the best car a Chevelle LS5 SS recreation (1970 Chevelle front and 1971 Chevelle rear end) yes I love 70’s muscle Cars.

The Fight scenes are strangely short and strait kills instead of a long drawn out fight scene that we would expect from the Rock.
The Camera work and editing is also very nice definitely some good cinematography and use of angles

There is a good Alternate ending that is worth checking out, as well as deleted scenes. Not to mention the behind the scenes documentaries. Definitely worth a buy or at least a rent.

5 Dead Bodies
0 Breasts (But a lot of Bikini and Underwear scenes)
3 Killers
2 Car Chases (2 More in Features)
4 Shoot outs (1 more in Features)
5 cool cars
4 Stars

Definitely check it out

Hatchet 2

Well I guess you can say that there ain't no grave that can hold my body down. That is very true because I always return. In other words I am sorry for the lack of reviews as of late. It has been a rough couple of months here, but as the old song goes Casey C. Corpier takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

Needless to say I am back and I am here to stay. I am currently in preparation for a move to Austin where I will Join my friends there and have new business options there, but don’t you fret Dallasites I will still be taking care of the Texas Frightmare Weekend videos for all of you. Loyd Cryer is not only the best convention promoter in the country but he is also a close friend of mine.

If you haven't been over to check out the show Loyd has the best line up this year.
Robert Englund and Clive Barker are making their long awaited appearances at the Southwest's premiere horror convention as well as Roger Corman who I am particularly looking forward to meeting. Anyway please check it out.

One of the great things about the Texas Frightmare Weekend is getting to hear about movies that are about to come out that you find yourself looking forward to seeing. One of those flicks is the much awaited Hatchet 2.

Now the best part of the flick is that these flicks are a treat to horror fans. Think of them as the Expendables of Horror, meaning that you are featuring a who's who of horror stars.

Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, John Carl Buechlier, Robert Englund, and RA Mihailoff are all featured in the franchise.

Now for those of you that have not seen the first movie please stop reading now and go check out the flick available from Anchor Bay Films. The reason is because this flick picks up where the previous flick left off.

Now some things have changed since the first movie. The girl who played Mary Beth in the first movie did not return but they did us one better because the girl is played by none other than the very Beautiful Danielle Harris. Which I am particularly excited about because Danielle is a very talented actress and I always look forward to seeing her at the conventions and in this flick she really kicks butt.

Now let’s move on. Mary Beth barely survives the night in the clutches of the evil Victor. After learning the truth from Reverend Zombie (Todd) she joins him and her Uncle and many more Hatchet Fodder on a hunt to capture and kill Crowley. Well you can guess what happens.

The flick is definitely worth checking out. I particularly enjoyed the kills as well as the references to other horror flicks such as the nod to Behind the Mask the Rise of Leslie Vernon, as well as the cameos that if you blink you will miss them. The flick is also shot very well as the Swamp is gives you that creepy feeling of Isolation though you get the feeling that there is a road to help and civilization is just within reach but to get there you have to face the 7 foot supernatural madman that wants to cut you in half. If you are an owner of the original Hatchet definitely buy this DVD or better yet the Blu-Ray as it is a great companion to the DVD and it goes much more in depth into the Crowley myth and story.

Bonus Features include some great making of Featurettes and EPK, as well as trailers, TV and Radio Spots. Definitely worth the price of the Blu-Ray

17 Dead Bodies
4 Breasts
1 Beast
Inadvertent Necrophilia
Intestine Choking
Boat Motor to the face
Skull Crushing
Face Spearing
Jaw Ripping
Hatchet to the vagina
Chainsaw to the nuts
Blood Spray
Blood Splatter
Heads Role
Testiclles Roll

Kudos goes to Danielle Harris as the heroine Mary Beth, and to Kane Hodder for the Duel Role of killer Victor Crowley and his father.

4 Stars

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